ISKANDAR PUTERI: A total of 75,000 tertiary students in Johor will receive “Kad Siswa Johor” starting this month.
The student card is aimed at helping them cope with the rising cost of living.
Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the card will offer special discounts on daily essentials and leisure activities to students from public universities, Kolej Yayasan Pelajaran Johor, community colleges and polytechnics.
He said the state government is mulling whether to extend the benefit to Form 5 and Form 6 students.
“This is a significant initiative introduced by Yayasan Pelajaran Johor (YPJ) and I hope it will help our students achieve better academic results.
“The state government, through YPJ, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with 10 private companies to offer food, books and services at discounted prices to cardholders,” Onn Hafiz said.
The Mentri Besar said this when met by reporters after witnessing the MOU signing ceremony between YPJ and the representatives of the companies at his office in Kota Iskandar here yesterday.
The companies are Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd, KPJ Healthcare Bhd, QSR Brands Holdings Bhd, Daily Fresh International Sdn Bhd, Al-Ikhlas Gadget, Woodfire Burger Sdn Bhd, Farm Fresh Bhd, Badan Cemerlang Sdn Bhd, Legoland Malaysia and Golden Screen Cinemas Sdn Bhd.
Onn Hafiz also said YPJ is planning to expand the card’s benefits to include discounts on public transport within the state.
Distribution of the cards will begin tomorrow in Kluang, with the official launch ceremony next month.
“Cardholders will be able to get a discount of between 5% and 25% on every purchase made through these companies.
“For example, these students will be able to get 25% discounts if they purchase theme park tickets from Legoland Malaysia or 10% discounts if they purchase any KFC or Pizza Hut (under QSR) products,” he added.
Onn Hafiz expressed hope that more private sectors or government agencies will be involved in this effort.
Meanwhile, Johor education and information committee chairman Aznan Tamin said 25,297 students will receive a one-off aid of RM500 under the YPJ Registration Aid Scheme (SBP).
The total allocation under the scheme is RM11mil, he added.
“SBP recipients will get the card automatically, while non-recipients will have to register for the card at any Bank Muamalat branch.
“All 75,000 card holders will also get a one-off RM50 incentive from the state government,” Aznan said.
